Part thriller, part natural history lesson.
Comment
09/04/09
The Cove (2009)
95
%
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Reviews Counted:108
Fresh:103
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Though decidedly one-sided, The Cove is an impeccably crafted, suspenseful expose of the covert slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Theatrical Release:23-10-2009
Synopsis: The Cove is an astounding piece of investigative journalism with the heart of an action thriller. Led by Louie Psihoyos, leader of the Ocean Preservation Society, and Richard O'Barry, an... [More]
Director: Louie Psihoyos
Reviews for The Cove
This is the definite frontrunner to win the Oscar for best documentary. The movie makes a persuasive argument that dolphins are intelligent beings that do not belong in captivity.
09/03/09
Brilliant, compassionate and dramatically involving, this is documentary at its best.
08/30/09
Unapologetically subjective, and a piece of social activist cinema all the way, but also thrilling and truly heartbreaking, The Cove is pieced together like a Steven Soderbergh heist flick, not some staid non-fiction film.
08/28/09
There are certain films that you'll never be able to erase from your memory, and without a shadow of a doubt The Cove is definitely one of them.
08/28/09
Despite [The Cove's] special pleading, it's unclear why these (admittedly beautiful and interesting) creatures should be treated any differently from cows.
08/28/09
By any measure, this is a horror film: graphic, shocking, uncompromising. The horrors, moreover, are real: the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins in a secluded cove in Japan, where they are trapped in nets and hacked and speared to death.
08/23/09
The Cove is guerrilla journalism at its best. Structured and paced by director Louie Psihoyos as a thriller/caper movie, it brings audience-grabbing cinematic conventions to work in telling its story of dolphin genocide
08/23/09
The scenes centering on the slaughter and the aftermath are horrifying; Michael Vick would doubtless get [excited] watching them, but most normal people will be properly repulsed.
08/21/09
Visceral enough to inspire action, no matter your politics.
08/21/09
In effect, by looking at nature The Cove shows us what it means to be human.
08/21/09
Part thriller, part undercover spy story and all activism, this is a brilliantly put together documentary aimed quite consciously at winning the hearts and minds of the world by exposing the dreadful slaughter of dolphins in a quite cove in South-eastern
08/20/09
It is put together so smartly you can almost feel the urgency – from the patient set-up, which lays on the information and statistics without getting boring or too preachy, to the horrific finale.
08/19/09
The result is quite horrific. No-one could be unmoved. But at the same time I did back away from the campaigning elements of the film.
08/19/09
This tense doco covers many disturbing issues at the same time capturing incredible images at great personal risk.
08/19/09
It is overwhelming, compelling and very depressing. In short, The Cove does its job very, very well.
08/19/09
As the subject of a documentary, this grim enterprise distinctly lacks the warm and fuzzy appeal of The March of the Penguins. So director Louie Psihoyos ingeniously reinvents his film as a spy caper.
08/19/09
Film as a tool for social awareness and change is perfectly valid. The problem is we know the film's agenda going in.
08/19/09
It's extremely disturbing and will upset many viewers, but it gets the message across. This could have been the year's best Documentary if it wasn't for the meandering middle section.
08/16/09
An activist thriller -- part caper flick, part environmental cry to the world -- that will set your heart racing, while breaking your heart at the same time.
08/09/09
Latest News for The Cove
November 19, 2009:
Academy Releases Documentary Shortlist 
Awards season is just around the corner, and to prove it, the Academy just released its list of the 15 films still vying for a Documentary Feature Oscar. More...
August 13, 2009:
Green Docs Finding Box Office a Hostile Environment
They have timely topics, great buzz, and meaningful messages -- so why are environmental documentaries like "The Cove" struggling to find theatrical audiences? More...
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
June 21, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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